An O.A.P.'s view of everything.

Monthly Archives: May 2017

Sunny and warm this morning so gardens tidied a bit – grass mowed etc. An easy eight-miler on the bike though first. Calm water up at Elton Res. and pic one shows that swans never do what you want them to do. Doh! Goldfinches all around there this morning.Take care along Daisyfield Greenway. There are several Giant Hogweeds lurking in green hedgerows and not easy to spot. They’re about a metre tall at moment.A great pair of horns near Benny’s bridge! Best not hang about when he’s nearby.
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Rainy again and a walk to Radcliffe early-on. While there no rain until getting-off bus on way back. Then, it rained. Pic taken December 2014.
Watched, yesterday, a Sparrowhawk, eating something it had caught, in back garden. Nothing at all left today.
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Cold(ish) and rainy this morning so a quick few miles done on the bike. Dull for pics but a few of 813 Great Western Tank taken up at Bury South. Video shortly. 813 looks very small (after recent Flying Scotsman, Union of South Africa and Witherslack Hall), but it’s quite impressive as it passes the level-crossing going up to busy Bury Bolton Street platforms.

Rainy this morning and so a quick bike-ride around the lanes. Pic taken yesterday of a loco’ built in 1896 I think! It looked like new … well … Small loco’s next weekend. I was too late to catch ’em this morning at Bury South.
All of the loco’s running yesterday carried a flower display, up front, for Manchester. Nice idea guys. After all, they’re all running on what was/is the Bury – Manchester line.
Some rain lately – that’ll bring the Hogweeds on! Excellent! One or two are already six feet tall with cricket-ball sized flower-head lumps along the stems. They really are alien-looking. Spotted a Cow Parsley plant (somewhere) with a dark red stem. This may be a Hemlock plant – leaves are bigger …
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Cloudy with spots of rain early-on and four steamers up at Bury for the ‘1940’s’ thingy

A few short ‘video’s’ were taken – youtube asap.

From there the usual (generally) ride via Elton Reservoir and Radcliffe Canal back to Radcliffe. Swans and cygnets okay but only five cygnets …There were a few ducklings too, at this erm, ‘feeding station’.
The fun front resumes its electioneering and both conservative and libdem bumf sheets mention ‘saving’ local greenbelt land from housebuilders. (You mean all that land covered in Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed?) Sadly, after many years of such tripe, I simply disbelieve it. Not heard from the other dingbat folk of taxation.
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Really warm and sunny early-on and no East Lancs Railway activity so plodded-on to the old railway ‘line’ Bury Council called ‘Daisyfield Greenway’. It’s actually lined with Buttercups but hey ho! close!Calm water at Elton then a check on a lane-side Hogweed plant not far from Hagside level-crossing. (I think it’s Hagside) The lane is lined with Giant Hogweed but this one plant is already four or five feet tall and developing reddish ‘seed-pod’ bumps near the two and a half inch thick stem top. Take care if walking along that lane to or from Benny’s bridge.Five cygnets counted this morning.
There are one or two Hogweeds along Banana Walk – will check tomorrow. Large fish – maybe a Carp (?) was spotted in Elton Res. yesterday.
This morning: Swans/cygnets, Coot/chicks, Ducks/ducklings, Goldfinches, Moor Hens, Canada Geese, not seen goslings yet …, many Jackdaws, Jays, Robins along Daisyfield, Buzzard being chased by Crows over hay-makers in field.
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Really warm this morning and had to get out and about early; too early for another spotting of Witherslack Hall, it wasn’t out till after ten. But, early-on, a couple of shunters were working.Got a few pics and short vids of ’em – they do look good – for diesels!From Bury South along to Wellington Street viaduct and that pylon has totally gone.They’ve even leveled the soil that was under it a bit. From there to Elton Reservoir and it was like glass this morning.Looking from Boat Club end to Old Hall end today.
Had to get back as carpet-fitter today. All okay. Got to shove everything back in bedroom now it’s been decorated.
Around here a farmer is Hay-Making (basically mowing very long grass and weeds and baling them as animal fodder). Being up early this morning and looking across farm fields, a large pile of something was literally steaming in the early sun. Mmm, opened windows aren’t always the best policy.
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A bit on the clammy, humid side this morning, but okay for 8 miles on the bike. Not cold at all. Up by Wellington Street viaduct the grafters up the lecky pylon (see yesterday’s post) have more or less shifted it! (Pic One today.) Pics will be collectors items shortly!But, up at Baron Street, Engine number 6990, Witherslack Hall, was supposedly out running today … services are a bit later though (?). Had to wait a while but then it appeared. Looks good too. Will post short video on youtube later.Awesome. Six-foot driving wheels. It’s up at Bury, Bolton Street for a few days if you want to see it or ride behind it – but there’ll be several (better) vids of it put at youtube.From Baron Street a Daisyfield Greenway bike-ride then back along canal with (I think) Buttercup fields. Take care along Hinds Lane near stud farm – the Hogweeds are getting erm, large to say the least.
On the fun(?) front; have you noticed that some Army (?) lads have been called-in in London. These are to protect our polis note, not to protect us.
Can’t be overly ‘political’ here (always relied on Logic rather than lunacy to get by.) but, in light of Manchester tragedy, must pass our condolences etc. to all those so bereaved and hope those hospitalized have full and speedy recoveries.

I’m about ten – 12 miles from there now, but still a Mancunian and thus really shocked by needless and callous killings (and injurings) at M.E.N. A family member works there – luckily not last night. This morning was sunny but nippy early-on. (sadly over 20 local folk won’t be seeing it – really, really erm, annoying!!!! – to say the least!) But up near Wellington Street they’re having a go at another pylon. (Pic one)Pic two taken from inside Elton Reservoir ‘overflow’ channel – the camera was more or less on a level with the water. (There’s a plant growing inside it that’s interesting …)Pic three is of wild Clover growing along embankment wall’s edge.Pic four; wharf swans were up near Withins with (now) six cygnets – there were seven, but hey ho, this is wild nature …
There is another swan pair on Elton Res., but not seen any cygnets there (as yet?) Usually another pair on the Little Lever canal section.
No fun front.
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(Remember that daft tv programme called ‘The Prisoner’ with (great actor) Patrick Magoohan? In it there was a white sphere that floated on water … check-out pic two here, today …
can’t be, can it?
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Sunny and warm (ish) early-on for a good 8-miler around Radcliffe and Bury greenbelt lanes. Loads of: Goldfinch, Jackdaws, crows, blackbirds, Robins (oh yes), swans, geese, and – at last tiny ducklings on canal (pic lower down.) A few Pied Wagtails, swifts and Martins by Elton Reservoir – all these just spotted while riding the bike. Pic one of of a new lecky pylon shining in the sun – the old one has been shifted now but the new wires aren’t up yet.Pic two – lines of Buttercups along Daisyfield Greenway – getting rare Buttercup fields.Pic three – calm water at Elton this morning.Pic four – a few of Highlander herd.Pic five – native type Bluebells? These are smaller and deep blue.Pic six – Flag Iris by Radcliffe canal.Pic seven – as mentioned – Mallard Ducklings. I think there are five – maybe six. Tiny at moment. Coot and Moor Hens nearby with umpteen Canada Geese.
On the fun front it looks like the O.A.Pension ‘triple=lock is on its way out. As (maybe) the free beeb licences for over 75’s. They are going to ‘means test’ such licence holders. Mmm … beeb wants rectifying … as in shove it up eh? (i.m.h.o. of course.)
Much graft done yesterday so missed posting.
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